Fairies Don't Speak, They Sing
by ZiraUzu
Summary: He didn't know how to tell her what was on his mind with words, so she told him to use music instead. Sometimes sweet melodies have ways to say things normal words can't. Collection of Songfics. Multiple couples, mostly NaLu.
1. Back to December

Title: Back to December

Couple: Natsu and Lucy (NaLu)

Genre: Romance/Drama

Song: Back to December by Taylor Swift

Age: Lucy – 19, Natsu – 19

Warning: Contains Swearing

Rated: T+ for Strong Language

xXx

She stared at the phone and drummed her fingers on the counter as terrified nerves crawled up and down her spine. It was just a phone call, nothing more, right? She shouldn't be so nervous, especially when she was to one that would be doing the calling. She _was_ nervous though, scared of what he might say. They hadn't spoken in forever.

Lucy sighed through her nose, trying to swallow her nerves and pride as she picked up the cell phone, she turned it around in her small hands and examined it from every angle. She was stalling. What if her number wasn't in his phone anymore? What if he didn't remember her . . . No he would remember and that was what scared Lucy the most.

She swallowed again, the action was difficult. It felt as if a giant lump was stuck in her throat and it wasn't planning on going down any time soon, no matter how hard she tried to force it. Her hesitant fingers moved slowly, dialing a number she had memorized so long ago but hadn't called in almost that same length of time. The blonde put the small object to her ear, listening silently to the ringing as she bit the nail on her index finger nervously.

The first time she hung up after the second ring. The second time was right after he answered. Well third time's the charm right?

"Hello?"

Lucy couldn't breathe. He sounded irritated but his voice was the same as how she remembered it. She hadn't heard it in so long and she found that she had missed the way his voice had sounded, how it had whispering sweat things in her ear.

"Uh, _hello_?"

Lucy jumped slightly and almost dropped the phone as his voice came from the other end of the line again. Yes, he was diffidently irritated now. She tried to slow her breathing and ended up failing miserably as she put the cell phone back to her ear.

"N-Natsu? It's me . . . Lucy."

The line went dead.

Lucy took the phone from her ear and looked wide eyed at the small object. Sure she had hung up twice before saying a word to him, but he was a guy! Guy's weren't supposed to hang up like fussy little girls. She sighed and shrugged, she should have expected as much, but at least no one could say that she hadn't tried.

Lucy had been expecting rejection from the start, but that doesn't mean it still didn't hurt.

Letting a frustrated shriek escape her dry throat the blonde pushed herself from the counter chair and collapsed on the blanket filled couch as a hopeless pout graced her lips. Irritation crept through her as she started to feel all her previous confidence slip away. Here she had just about peed herself from fright and he couldn't even say one word to her? Yes, he was diffidently acting like a fussy little girl.

Lucy's phone vibrated as an incoming call reached her phone. The blonde looked at the phone, not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment. She felt her previous fear seep back into her pores as Natsu's name flashed across the caller ID.

_Fuck, _Lucy thought as she threw the phone across the room. It hit the opposite wall and continued buzzing as it hit the floor.

Levi, having heard the phone as it knocked against the wall, poked her head through her bedroom door and glanced at Lucy. She frowned, "What the hell are you throwing out here?" The blue haired maiden asked her best friend as she watched her fidget on the couch.

Lucy pointed at the buzzing phone by Levi's feet.

One of Levi's eyebrows rose in curiosity as she bet down to pick up the now silent phone. Her thumb moved swiftly as she clicked through Lucy's the missed calls. "Natsu?" Levi looked up at Lucy with disbelief written all over her face, "Why didn't you—" Levi paused as the phone buzzed to life again.

Lucy looked at Levi over her pile of blankets, "Is it him?"

"Yes."

"Do you think he'll take a message?"

"Who called first?"

"Me." 

"Yeah, you're screwed." Levi stated as she tossed the phone onto Lucy's blanket mound. "Good luck, Lu." Levi called as she turned towards her room. Lucy glared after the bookworm as she disappeared from view, honestly Lucy loved the girl to death but she could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

Lucy sighed for what she hoped was the last time that night and picked up the buzzing phone. She pressed the talk button and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

There was yelling in the background and the sound of Natsu's voice was absent for the first few seconds. After a moment she heard him. ". . . Hey . . . sorry about, yeah."

"Don't worry about it. I did the same." Lucy was gripping one of her blankets so tightly she thought it was going to rip.

"I noticed." Of course he did.

Silence came from both ends of the conversation. Lucy bit her lip, "Hey, can we meet?"

"What?" 

Lucy slapped her forehead in mortification. What the hell was she thinking asking him a question out of the blue like that? _Way to fuck things up even more Lucy!_ She though as she bit her bottom lip again.

"Now?" Lucy froze and felt the pressure on her lip lift. He was actually considering it? Talk about a miracle. Lucy glanced up at the clock on the wall which read 10:42pm. Underneath the clock there was a dent in the wall. Lucy blinked as she looked at the dent; Levi was going to kill her.

"Yeah . . . now."

There was a long pause before she heard Natsu whisper, "Ok. I'll meet you at the old place."

"Right." Lucy said before she ended the call.

_The old place._ Lucy felt her heart clench as she thought of the fountain that sat at the center of Magnolia. It had been a special place for them both in the past; it was a place that they had spent a lot of time at.

"Levi!" Lucy called as she pulled on her winter coat. The blue haired maiden exited her room once again, this time with a toothbrush in her mouth and toothpaste ripping from the corners.

"Wha?" Levi asked as she continued her brushing.

"I'm going out."

"Do fu fow wha tam it es?" Levi said while trying to keep her toothpaste in her mouth and off the floor.

"Yes, Levi I do." Lucy stated as she pulled on her boots. "Watch the house!" She opened the door, "Oh and I broke the wall."

Levi no longer cared about her dripping toothpaste or the currently clean floor as the foamy substance went flying, "Lucy, what the hell?!"

The blonde only laughed and headed out into the snow. She didn't care that it was cold, or that snow was falling outside. She was glad, because he hadn't shut her out completely.

o~O~o

She had been waiting for the last ten minutes, bundled up in a warm white winter jacket, a pink hat on her head and matching mittens sheltered her hands from the cold. She kicked the fresh snow that had fallen from the dark sky with her pom-pom boots.

The sound of crunching snow came from behind her. Lucy stood up from her place on the fountain and smiled softly as she glanced at Natsu over her shoulder.

Natsu didn't return her smile. He only glanced at her face before he began drawing patterns in the snow with the toe of his boot.

Lucy frowned and walked over to him. She lifted her hand to try to comfort him, to ease the awkwardness he felt, but then decided against it. It wouldn't be right for her to touch him, even if she meant it as a way of comfort. Lucy knew she was no longer a source of comfort for the young man.

"Would you like to walk with me?"

Natsu glanced at her again before returning his attention back to the snow. "Sure."

They walked in silence for a time; the only real sound was their feet crushing the snow beneath their winter boots. Natsu had his hands shoved deep in his coat pockets and Lucy could see that he wasn't wearing any gloves. _He did always forget things like that._

The blonde didn't have to look to know he had been constantly glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Lucy pressed her mitten covered hands to her mouth and tried to focus on the snow instead of how awkward she felt.

"So," Lucy started while she rubbed her hands together, "How's life been to you lately? Are Wendy, Grandine, Igneel and Happy doing alright?" She paused for another moment, "I haven't seen them . . . in a while."

Natsu watched Lucy rub her red nose silently for a moment before nodding his head, "They're fine, good. Life's good." He paused for another moment, "Wendy misses you. A lot." The young man turned his eyes to the ground as he thought of the last time his step sister had asked when she would be able to see Lucy again.

It had been the summer just following last December.

_Natsu was sitting on his bed, his legs crossed as he looked at Happy with a calculating look on his face when Wendy, his now 14 year old step sister opened the door. A frown crossed her face when she saw him looking at Happy. "I swear, Natsu," She said as she came and stood by his bed with her hands on her hips, "Dye that cat a normal color already!"_

_Natsu looked up at her then back at the blue cat, "No way! The day he fell into that can of blue paint was the day I decided that he would forever be original."_

"_Whatever," Wendy said as she scooted Happy away so she could take his place on the bed. Natsu frowned at her for moving his cat against its will, Happy however didn't seem to mind, he only yawned and moved to make himself comfortable in Wendy's lap._

_Irritation started to slip through the 19 year old, he knew why his sister had suddenly showed up, it was always the same reason now a days and even though he didn't want to talk about _her _he asked Wendy what she wanted anyways. Just in case. "What do you want, Wendy?"_

_Wendy wouldn't look at him, she preoccupied herself with petting Happy as she asked, "When is Lucy coming over again, Natsu?"_

"_Never," Natsu growled at his sister as he ran a frustrated hand through his pink hair. This was how things went now. Wendy would come into his room, comment about the color of Happy's fur and then ask him about Lucy and each time he would tell Wendy that she was never coming again, Wendy would then pout and leave the room._

_This time however was different._

"_Well why not?" She asked as she glared at her older brother, "How come I never see her anymore, why is she never here, why do you always leave the room when her name comes up in conversation? Why, Natsu? Is it because you're depressed or do you just hate her?" Wendy was screaming at him by the end._

"_I have my reasons." That's all he said, all he would say and Wendy knew very well that that's all the reason he would ever give her. She was his younger sister after all; she didn't deserve an explanation to _his_ problems._

"_You just don't want to admit you're not over her!"_

_Natsu glared at the young girl, "Shut up," he said as he grabbed Happy from her, "You don't know anything so just shut up!"_

"_Natsu, you idiot! I hate you," Wendy screamed as she ran out the door._

She didn't hate him of course, Wendy never could hate Natsu. He was her only brother after all. She had come back a few hours later to apologize but that's it, it took her a week before she would really talk to him again. After that Wendy stopped asking about Lucy, she hadn't asked about her once since then.

"She does?" Lucy asked as a small smile slipped across her face again. "I miss her too."

xXx

Snow had started to fall lightly again. It was currently collecting in Natsu's hair and he glanced up at the pieces that hung from his pink spikes. Lucy still walked beside him her hands now in her own coat pockets.

"So how have _you_ been," Lucy pressed, "You've told me all about Wendy, Grandine, and Igneel, you've even went into detail on how Happy is," she laughed at the thought of how the blue cat's life had been, "but you haven't told me anything about _you, _Natsu." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "I want to know about you."

Natsu remained silent as he listened to her request. It shouldn't come as a surprise to him that she would want to know how he had been, that was just the kind of person Lucy was. She cared about people, even if things weren't the best between her and the person she was asking about. Right now, Natsu was that person.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I've been good, very good actually. Work keeps me busy, the weathers been nice lately too, which always seems to make things better." They had been talking for at least an hour now and Natsu was still giving her very blunt, strait forward answers. "So how have you been, Lucy?"

The blonde flinched as he said her name, but, of course he would call her Lucy. She wasn't Luce anymore; she wasn't just plain old Lu either. No, now to Natsu, she was Lucy, and that's all she may ever be. The young girl nodded her head once before putting on a fake smile, "Good, I've been good. How's everybody at Fairy Tail?"

She hadn't been quick enough though, he had noticed her pause, had seen the flinch and with the sudden change of topic it was obvious that she was trying to keep the topic of conversation away from herself. Natsu didn't acknowledge his findings; he knew it would make her feel uncomfortable to say anything so he went on to answer her newest question.

"They miss you of course."

Natsu frowned as he thought of the café he worked at and how it had changed since Lucy stopped working there. Things were still lively of course, it was impossible for things to not be lively at Fairy Tail, with Cana's excessive drinking, Gray's stripping and Erza beating the shit out of people it was pretty much impossible, but some of the calm, gentle atmosphere the café sometimes had went away with Lucy. It was like she had packed it up in her suit case and took it with her when she had quit.

Lucy glanced at Natsu as he looked at the ground in thought. Even now that thick wall that they had both built was still strong on Natsu's side. He wasn't letting his guard down, nor was he planning too. And Lucy knew why.

xXx

It had happened last December. The snow had been falling lightly outside, kind of like how it was now. The frozen crystals were piling up on the trees, causing them to sparkle when the sunlight hit them. And Lucy sat in her living room reading a book as she waited for Natsu.

The blonde had smiled when she heard the doorbell ring. Forgetting to mark her page completely, she had thrown her book to the side and it had landed on the couch with a soft thump. She felt the nervous butterflies begin to flutter around in her stomach.

She had answered the door with a half smile. And Natsu had been waiting patiently for her with a bundle of roses in his hand. When she saw the roses her smile had faltered and she felt the butterflies in her stomach begin to rage as if there were going to burst right out of her.

She couldn't handle it. Every fear she had begun to feel over the past week or so came bubbled up to the front of her mind. He had smiled at her and she had slammed the door in his face.

xXx

Lucy rubbed her cold nose as she stepped into the apartment. Shrugging out of her winter jacket she hung it on the hook before stepping into the kitchen. Ramen sounded really appetizing at the moment to her. She grabbed a bowl and a package of the delectable instant noodles before turning to the stove to boil water.

Levi, having heard the blonde when she walked through the door, looked up from the book she was currently reading to watch her best friend make her late night snack. "So?"

Lucy glanced at the blue haired maiden and gave her a half smile, "Well . . . I guess it could have been worse."

"Ah, Lu," Levi cooed as she moved to the kitchen to hug her friend.

"I never said it was terrible, Levi," Lucy stated as Levi embraced her.

"You don't have too. I can tell. Your heart is hurting and that's ok, it'll heal," Levi paused, thinking carefully, wondering if it was ok to say what she really wanted to say. In the end she decided it was. "Maybe you shouldn't have gone to see him."

Lucy's shoulders began to shake as her friend's words began to sink in, "I love him so much, Levi."

"Shh, I know. Don't cry, Lu tears are pointless," Levi squeezed Lucy a little bit harder and Lucy nodded into her friends shoulder. Levi was right; there was no point it crying. Tears wouldn't help her now so she would not cry, no matter what. She was done.

Now Lucy sat alone on the couch with her ramen in her lap. She nibbled at the noodles, her appetite suddenly lost. Levi had gone to bed. She wanted to stay up to comfort her friend but Lucy had insisted, because she knew what sleepless nights were like. She had received many after was happened last December.

And she still had them.

Lucy glanced to the side, her mind in a daze as her eyes landed on an old calendar that had been lying around. It was still set to July. Brown eyes darted away and Lucy shook her head, she hadn't called to wish him birthday this year.

xXx

"_Luce!"_

_Lucy screamed as she was shoved into the ice cold water._

_The blonde submerged from the river, dripping wet. She glared at Natsu, who was laughed from the bank as he watched her blow bubbles in the icy water. Lucy stood and smiled at the boy on the shore, he sure was something._

"_Cold, Luce?"_

_Lucy shrugged as she walked over to the shore line. Natsu sat on his haunches and smirked as she glared at him._

"_Not particularly. How about you?"_

_Natsu blinked and gave the blonde a confused look as she smiled at him from the water. Suddenly a devious smile crossed the blonde's face and Natsu only had time to blink in surprise before she pulled him into the river._

_Lucy laughed as she watched him thrash around before his head bobbed above the water. Once surfaced water shot from his mouth and hit her in the face. "Gross, Natsu!" She may have sounded annoyed but she was smiling as scolded him._

_His arms encircled her. Lucy smiled, in his arms she felt safe, loved. She felt strong._

"_I love you, Luce."_

Her face was wet, and it wasn't from sweat either. Lucy wiped her eyes and frowned, so much for not crying.

It was unlike the blonde to fall asleep like she had, without realizing it. It was even more unlike her to dream of Natsu, let alone her memories of him. Of course not everything in the dream was entirely accurate either. Natsu had never said he loved her when they had gone to visit that river with their friends. There had been a point when she though he was going to say those three little words, but Gray and Juvia had shown up so the boy had kept quiet.

A buzzing noise came from beside her. Lucy looked down at her blue phone. It read 4:00 in the morning and she had a new text message.

_**To: Luce Heartphilia**_

_**From: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**4:00 AM**_

_**You ok?**_

Lucy gazed at her phone for a moment, unsure if she wanted to reply or not. In the end she did, but it wasn't to answer his question.

_**To: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**From: Lucy Heartphilia**_

_**4:03 AM**_

_**Why would you suddenly ask something like that?**_

Lucy clicked the send button. It surprised her when Natsu answered almost instantly.

_**To: Luce Heartphilia**_

_**From: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**4:03 AM**_

_**Donno. Just had a feeling something was wrong.**_

_**To: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**From: Lucy Heartphilia**_

_**4:05 AM**_

_**Does it really matter? It's not like it concerns you to begin with.**_

She wasn't being fair, and this she knew. Lucy didn't know why she was behaving the way she was. Natsu was only trying to be nice, and here she was pushing him farther away from her than he already was.

When he replied she was expecting him to get angry, tell her off, or something. But this was Natsu, he had always been a little difficult for her to read. This was still true.

_**To: Luce Heartphilia**_

_**From: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**4:08 AM**_

_**Are you ok, Lucy?**_

Her lip was quivering. The tears were threatening to spill again. She was not strong and she knew it. When it came to him she was weak and defenseless, he had always been her weakness. He always will be. He had to power to make her as strong as a brick wall or crumble in an instant. Right now she was crumbling.

_**To: Luce Heartphilia**_

_**From: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**4:15 AM**_

_**Lucy?**_

_**To: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**From: Lucy Heartphilia**_

_**4:23 AM**_

_**Sorry. I'm not ok; I'm not strong like you, Natsu. My wall is crumbling, I'm crumbling.**_

_**To: Luce Heartphilia**_

_**From: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**4:25 AM**_

_**You are strong, Lucy. Why have you never been able to see that? Is there anything I can do to help?**_

His words spoken or typed had such evil ways of biting into her heart.

_**To: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**From: Lucy Heartphilia**_

_**4:27 AM**_

_**No.**_

_**To: Luce Heartphilia**_

_**From: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**Why not!?**_

Was he really going to make her say it, or in this case type it? It would seem that he was.

_**To: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**From: Lucy Heartphilia**_

_**4:34 AM**_

_**Because. You're the one making me crumble.**_

Why did he have to make her love him so much?

xXx

_**To: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**From: Lucy Heartphilia**_

_**4:34 AM**_

_**Because. You're the one making me crumble.**_

Him? Natsu looked at his phone. He couldn't fucking sleep because of her and she was blaming him? For what?

_**To: Luce Heartphilia**_

_**From: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**4:37 AM**_

_**What the hell is that supposed to mean?**_

Five minutes passed, then ten with no answer.

_**To: Luce Heartphilia**_

_**From: Natsu Dragneel**_

_**4:44 AM**_

_**Lucy? I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out that way.**_

Another ten minutes and still no replay. Natsu frowned, his brows pulling together as he stared at his phone.

"Way to go idiot," Natsu said to himself as he slammed his phone onto his bedside table, leaving it on just in case. The sudden noise startled Happy, who twitched in his sleep before he opened his eyes and yawned.

"Sorry, buddy." Natsu said as he stroked the blue cat. Said cat purred happily before turning in a circle and falling back asleep.

Natsu rubbed his eyes and groaned. He was so tired, and it was all because of her. After they had parted ways he had come home already half dead and bent on going to sleep, but ever since his head had hit his pillow he had had this nagging feeling in the back of his head that there was something wrong with Lucy.

And now he knew what, sort of.

Women had always been confusing to him, but none more so than Lucy. Sometimes he just didn't get her. She said one thing but meant something else; she smiled even when she didn't want to. If Natsu had to rate her a 1 to 10 on confusing she'd be a whole other level.

Her begin confusing reminded him of what had happened last December. It wasn't a memory that he liked to dwell long on. Lucy slamming the door in his face had never been something he was expecting but even though she had, behind that closed door he didn't sense rejection, but fear and confusion.

It almost made him open the door, almost.

But he hadn't and it may very well have been one of the biggest regrets of his life.

Ever since that door had closed and he hadn't opened it they had stopped talking, hanging out, dating. Everything just stopped.

And he hated it.

xXx

His tan skin, his voice, his sweet smile, his hair, she missed everything about him. He had always been there for her, holding her when she needed to be held and comforting her when she needed comforting. Not comforting her in the way Levi could or Mira or Erza or Juvia or Gray for that matter but in a way only he, only Natsu could.

And that may have been the very thing she missed the most. The way he comforted her.

He had always been good, to her, to everything and something about him was just, just right.

And she, foolishly, had not seen that when she had had the chance.

It was six in the morning and her phone buzzed. She knew who it was knew that picking up was foolish, that it could hurt her. But Lucy had decided that she was not done being a fool.

"Do you remember that one night in September? When you broke down and cried because you missed your mom?"

"It's kind of hard to forget." She whispered into the phone. Why was he bringing up such painful things?

"That was the first time."

"The first time for what?"

"It was the first time you let me see you cry. It was the first . . . And the last." He was whispering too.

"I don't like crying." Lucy stated, "No matter what it's about. It makes me feel weak."

"I know you don't." He paused, "But crying doesn't make a person weak, Lucy. It makes them stronger."

Lucy frowned into the receiver and sighed, "You can't possibly believe that."

"It's true. I've seen it many times; I've seen it in you, Lucy."

She didn't say anything, he was making her angry. Constantly insisting that she was strong was making her angry. She even considered hanging up.

"Don't you dare hang up, Luce."

Lucy paused, her fingers just millimeters away from the talk button.

"Please don't hang up." She brought her hand to her mouth and shook her head.

"You're making this really hard for me, Natsu." He was making it hard and yet so incredibly easy. With just one word, one name, he could stop her. Lucy wiped at her dry eyes as if she was expecting tears to be there, she absolutely hated the power he held over her, "Why did you ask me about September, Natsu?"

"You hated that night. But I can't say that I feel the same."

"Why?" 

"Because you let me see you cry. You showed me that you trusted me, you let me see the real you."

xXx

It was wishful, and maybe impossible.

For the first time in a long time Lucy found herself wishing for many things.

Maybe she was dreaming, it would diffidently make more sense than if she was actually awake. But if this was a dream and not in fact her reality, she never wanted to wake up.

"Lu?" Lucy blinked; her eyes were heavy and tired from lack of sleep.

"You ok, Lu?" Levi asked as she came and climbed over the blanket mound so she could sit beside her best friend.

"Levi, do you believe in second chances?"

Levi stared at Lucy for a moment before glancing out the window where the first rays of sunlight were spilling through the remaining clouds from last night's snow. "Yes, Lu I do."

"Do you think that maybe," Lucy didn't get to finish.

"Yes, Lu I believe in that too."

A new kind of smile tugged Lucy's lips, it was one filled with a new happiness, a new hope. The blonde pulled her knees to her chest and crossed her arms over the top of them before resting her head in the vacant space on the couch behind her. Levi did the same, "You know, Levi if I do get that second chance, I'd love him right this time. There would be no more running, no fear."

"I'm glad to hear it."

xXx

Lucy shivered as she stepped out the front door. Fresh snow lay on the ground, it glistened from the sunlight of a new morning and Lucy was glad to be the first to make footprints in the newly formed white fluff.

Heading down the sidewalk, Lucy thought of heading the opposite direction, but there was a chance he wouldn't be there. So she headed towards the one other place she knew he could be.

Lucy couldn't say she was proud of what had happened between them, if anything she regretted it. If she could she would change it but that was impossible, so there was only one other option: Fix the problem herself.

And this time she felt she could do just that and all it took was an early morning phone call and the sun of a new morning.

She felt better about things, he on the other hand might not feel the way she did, but that would be her loss. If he was just being nice and last night had just been on a whim then she would accept that. If he chose to chain the doorway that could connect them then she would not complain.

xXx

Lucy continued her way down the sidewalk, snow collected in her shoes and her hair but at the moment she wasn't really one to care. Hell her feet could get frostbite and she wouldn't have cared.

Standing in front of the café was in a word: nerve-racking. Lucy felt her legs go numb as she stared up at the sign above the door. She was shaking and butterflies were raging within her queasy stomach.

_You can do this. Come on, Lucy you can do this_, Her pep talk however did nothing to calm her nerves, nor did it seem to make her stomach feel any better as she pushed the café door open.

Lucy had half expected the whole café to go silent, kind of like what happened in the old movies. This did not happen however and the blonde released a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she shuffled to the side, away from the doorway so she could gaze around at the old café.

Little to Lucy's surprise the café hadn't changed. It was still alive with noise, chatter, the smell of fast food, the faint smell of beer courtesy of Cana, as well as the faint sound of Mirajane's guitar in the background.

It was all a little overwhelming but Lucy still felt happiness explode within her all the same. Damn, she had missed this place.

"Lu?"

Lucy turned to the sound of her name and saw Levi sitting at a wooden table a couple yards away from her. Lucy smiled and made her way over to her best friend.

"Hmm, so looks like the picky novelist is back," Gajeel Redfox commented from beside Levi, which only earned his a knuckle sandwich in the face from his much smaller, blue haired girlfriend.

Lucy however didn't mind the comment, besides in a way it was true, "Yes, and it's good to be back. Levi have you -,"

Levi interrupted the blonde by jabbing with her thumb to the back of the café. She didn't need to hear Lucy's question to know what she was going to ask. That's just how they were, they just got each other. Besides Lucy would only show up at Fairy Tail now for one person, and one person only.

"Good luck, Lu."

Lucy nodded to her friend as she maneuvered her way towards the back of the café.

Natsu frowned as he looked at the little slips of paper that hung before him. Who had put him on cooking duty the pink haired teen didn't know but they were going to get an earful when he found out. Who the hell was the idiot who thought he could cook?

Natsu sighed though his nose as he plucked one of the yellow slips from the wire they hung from. He frowned as he squinted at the paper; trying to read the contents, forget the idiot who had made him cook now he just wanted to know what the hell this customer was trying to order.

If Natsu had gotten an ounce of sleep the previous night he would have clearly known that the customer was trying to order a cheeseburger, sure that doesn't mean he knew how to make one but at least he knew what he was going to make Gray cook for him once he found the bastard.

Sighing through his nose once again the exhausted teenager tossed the paper on the counter and placed his head next to it as he sat down on a stool next to the counter.

"Natsu, what are you doing back there?" Mirajane called from the counter.

If it had been anybody but Mira he would have answered with a "Shut the fuck up!" but this was Mirajane, the sensitive white haired waitress who was also a complete demon at times and he didn't want to get on her bad side.

"Nothing!"

"Well could you hur—?"

Natsu waited for Mira to finish her sentence but was greeted with silence. He shrugged and closed his eyes, damn he was tired.

Slowly the boy started to drift into unconsciousness so he didn't hear the light clicking of a pair of heels at first as they made their way toward him. And just as slowly he became aware of another presence standing beside him. He opened his eyes slightly and stared into the big brown eyes of Lucy Heartphilia as she stood beside him.

A small smile spread across his mouth as he stared at her. He felt like he was in a dream, having her stand there with a small smile of her own on her face as he chocolate eyes did nothing but watch him.

"Hey," he said as he lifted his head from the counter and turned so his body was facing her.

Lucy remained silent as she folded her arms behind her back. A serious look crossed her face, replacing the smile she had worn only seconds ago. "I–I have something to say."

Natsu merely stared at her. He said not a word, his curiosity has spiked. He watched her fidget as she stood before him, her index fingers tapped together and she was biting her lip. He couldn't help but think she was cute when she was nervous.

"I-I wanted to say that I'm sor—,"

Lucy's eyes widened slowly as Natsu's warm arms encircled her. She stood, limbs stiff as he held her securely to his chest, she could feel his warm breath on her neck and a light blush dusted the bridge of her nose. "Don't say anything." He whispered into her hair as he crushed her to his chest, she felt one of his large hands wind into her golden locks. "I understand."

Lucy gasped as the warm tears slipped from her chocolate eyes and down her cheeks. She was not sad, nor angry. She felt light, like a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Natsu's voice was whispering to her quietly, saying things like, 'I'm here, Luce' and 'It's ok stop crying'. He was trying to hide it, but he was crying too. A smile slipped across the blonde's lips as both their tears fell; she reached up and clutched the back of his shirt with her small hands.

"I love you."

xXx

Natsu's lips met Lucy's as those three little words left her mouth.

His lips were warm. They made Lucy's fingers tingle as she reached up to grab his face. The tingling sensation in her finger's spread down her arms, her chest until she could feel it everywhere. Her whole body felt warm, loved.

When they parted Natsu placed a kiss on Lucy's nose, then her brow and her temple. He placed his forehead against hers and stared into her endless brown eyes.

"I love you," He whispered.


	2. Mine I

**Title:** Mine

**Couple:** Gray X Erza (GrayZa) and Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Ratin**g: T+

**Warnings:** Possible OCCness and Strong Language because of Natsu's foul mouth.

**Authors Note: **I'm alive! Surprisingly. I haven't forgotten about this story/one shot collection, ha it takes me forever to update doesn't it? Sorry. Thank you to those who have waited so patiently, this is my Christmas present to you! Another thing, this is only part one because it's so fricken long! So expect part two soon. I promise it will come soon! Hopefully within the next week. I also apologize in advance for any mistakes.

Love to all and Merry Christmas/New Year!

_I do not own Fairy Tail, wish I did but I don't._

Mine

Part I

_ZiraUzu_

_Forever is not a word…rather a place where two lovers go when true love takes them there.  
><em>_~Unknown_

xXx

They met in a café on campus. It wasn't exactly the meeting she had been expecting, considering how at most cafés the waiters in college don't tend to strip mid sentence. But maybe that's why she found him interesting.

Eraz Scarlet was a strict, level headed woman and wasn't expecting what her friend Cana may have called a 'fateful encounter', no, all she had wanted that morning had been a nice cup of coffee to go along with the book she had been reading.

And she had been doing just that when he walked up, her nose buried deep into the captivating book's white pages. She gave him her order quickly, her eyes never leaving the page or losing their spot as she did so, "Coffee with a forth of creamer, preferably hazelnut and two lumps of sugar as well, please."

She could tell she had startled him when he remained silent for a time.

"Uh, sure thing," he said. She heard the scribbling of his pen, then the sound of his footsteps as he retreated back towards the counter to place her order.

Erza glanced up, it had been a whim of sorts but he was already gone. Yet as soon as her eyes strayed back to the pages of her book he was there again. And without her coffee.

She stared at his empty hands as if expecting the coffee to magically appear before her. When it didn't, and she knew it wouldn't, a scowl crossed her face and she looked up at the man as if he was at fault, which in a way he was.

The look on his face told her that he was a little surprised to see her scowling at him. Her piercing eyes stared into his as if to say 'well, where the hell is my coffee?' he only smiled at her. Erza found it a little unsettling. It wasn't that his smile was creepy; it was actually quiet handsome, she just hadn't been expecting it. People don't usually smile when she's glaring at them.

"Coffee machine's broken," He said as if to answer her unspoken question.

"I see," she said, her frown disappeared but her brow was still slightly pulled together. Normally the young redhead would have just left. Lucky for him, her craving for hazelnut coffee had just been a bit too tempting that morning.

"You a student here?"

Erza blinked and looked back up at the young man standing next to her table. Why he was asking her random questions that had clearly obvious answers was unknown to her. Besides didn't he have a job to do?

Whether he was ignoring his job or not was none of her business though, so she nodded once in answer.

"Ah, what are you majoring in?"

Erza ran a hand through her fiery hair and sighed, "Don't you have a job to do?"

The man shrugged, "Not really."

The young woman glanced around at the multiple tables waiting to have their orders taken. Sure he didn't.

"You never answered my question."

"And how will you knowing what I'm majoring in be of any benefit to you exactly?" She said as her eyes scanned a few lines of her book.

He shrugged. Erza sighed again and glanced at him briefly before returning her attention back to the black print in her book, "Armor creation."

"They have that?"

"They do here," She answered bluntly.

The fine hairs on the back of Erza's neck stood up as he felt the man's curious eyes watching her read. It was unsettling to her, she was a strong, independent woman but even she didn't particularly like being watched every second while she was trying to read.

Erza closed her book, "Shouldn't you be helping other customers? It is your job after all." She said without even glancing in his direction.

"Nah, they can take care of themselves, besides I'm only a part-timer. So it's not like it really matters if I get fired or not."

"I see, but still you sh— what are you doing?!" Erza almost fell out of her chair when she turned to the man beside her just as be begun to yank his shirt up his torso and over his head. He gave her a what's-up-with-you face before he tossed his shirt to the floor. Then he started on his belt.

Erza glared and before she knew what she was doing she had punched him in the face. She hadn't even realized she had done so until she saw him on the floor in front of her holding his nose.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You shouldn't strip in public," She stated as she slowly lowered herself back into her chair, a newly formed blush lightly dusting her nose. "It's indecent."

The man raised one raven colored eyebrow in confusion at her words. Then he glanced down, "Dammit not again!"

"Gray! Are you waiting for Hell to freeze over? Give the customer her coffee and get back to work!"

A small smile broke across Erza's face as the news of her coffee reached her ears, "The coffee machine has been repaired?"

The man behind the counter raised a bushy eyebrow, "Repaired? It was never broken."

"What?" Erza's previous scowl reappeared on her face as she turned to unleash her newly boiled wrath on the idiot waiter that had kept her waiting for nothing. He was gone though, she looked left, right, hell she even checked under the table but the raven haired man was nowhere in sight.

Erza muttered something about 'rude indecency' and reached for her book, which had fallen under the table when she had punched her now absent waiter in the face. She was about to get up to leave when a steaming cup of coffee was set in front of her on a small eggshell colored saucer. She frowned up at him only to see that he was looking away like he was embarrassed as he sported a new Band-Aid across the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry 'bout that."

Erza stood and slapped his across the face.

He chuckled, it was a deep sound that came from his once again clothed chest and Erza decided that she liked the sound. "I guess I deserved that," He said, a wide smile crossed his face.

"Yes you did," she said as she reached for her cup and took a sip. She couldn't help but let a small smile of her own cross her lips though it went unseen by the man in front of her, for she kept her cup at her lips to prevent him from seeing it.

"You know, I've never had an armor creating woman slap me in public before."

"And I've never had an idiot for a waiter who lied to me about a coffee machine braking just so he could talk to me. Most of my waiters don't tend to strip mid sentence either."

A light blush dusted his bandaged nose, "I-It's not like that's the only reason I said the machine was broken," he said as he rubbed the back of his head.

She smiled at his poor excuse for a cover up and sipped her coffee again.

"Erza Scarlet," she said as she offered her hand.

"Gray Fullbuster," he said as he accepted her offered handshake.

"You're an interesting one, Gray," she said as she put her empty cup in his large hands and grabbed her book from the table.

He smiled, "I could say the same thing about you, Erza Scarlet."

xXx

They had always been close friends, best friends even.

He had always been there for her, had counseled her through every friendship gone wrong, through the hard times when the divorce had happened, when she had lost her mother, he had been there when her father hadn't been, he had even beat the shit out of jerks that had made her cry. There had been plenty of jerks over the years.

Even now there were still jerks.

The buzzing of his cell brought him out of his state of half consciousness. Natsu rubbed his eyes and glanced around his dorm room from where he lay, upside down on the couch his roommate had brought in. He groaned and stretched his arms as he spotted the small device half way across the room on the floor next to his bed.

In his still half asleep state Natsu flipped off the couch. He lay on the floor for a moment before army crawling over to his cell, being too lazy to just stand up and walk over to it in the first place. He grabbed the piece of plastic off the floor and pressed the talk button without looking at the caller ID. He yawned as he brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Natsu?" The sound of quiet sniffles came from the other end of the line, "S-sorry did I wake you up?"

He glanced over at the electric clock that sat on his roommate's desk. It read 2:43 AM. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"If you say so."

He was met by a steam of silence. "Did you need something, Luce?"

"I . . . Do you think y-you could come here, Natsu?"

His tired eyes softened, "Sure."

The thought that it was two in the morning, that he should be asleep, that he had class the next morning were never things that he considered thinking about at times like these, nor were they something he worried about. All he was worried about was Lucy. When she called him in the early hours of the morning he never complained, and he never seemed to care about the walk, that he usually complained about any other time, that he would have to endure in the dark either.

Her eyes were already red and puffy by the time he crawled through her second story window. He was barely over the sill and had the window shut before she let out a shuddering sob and threw herself at him. He grunted in surprise as she sobbed into his shirt. He said nothing though and just held her.

After a few minutes when she had calmed down a bit he gently pried her fingers from his shirt so he could remove his jacket. As he was doing so Lucy walked over to the mini fridge that she kept in the corner of her single dorm room. She opened the small chest and pulled out a tub of rocky road.

"You want some?" She asked as she grabbed two spoons. One of which she offered to him as he moved to sit on her bed.

"I'm gonna get fat soon you know." He teased as he took the offered spoon and scrapped a clump of the soft ice cream from the tub. "How many of these things do you have in there anyway?"

She giggled at his teasing comments, "Three including this one."

"Hmm, you know you're only going to have at least one left by the time I leave here right?"

She blinked her red eyes, "You plan to eat that much?"

"No, I plan to steal one and take it with me when you're not looking. Then I'll hope I can get it into a fridge before it's completely melted."

She laughed. He smiled; this was how things usually went when Lucy's latest relationship ended. She would call him in the middle of the night and he would brave the darkness to come make her feel better. She would hug him as soon as he stepped through the door (or window, depending on which he used) then she would ask him if he wanted ice cream. Natsu was sure that if he didn't have a high metabolism and work out on a regular basis he would have gained at least ten pounds from ice cream alone. Once the ice cream had been broken out then he would do whatever he could to make her laugh, since laughter after all, was the best medicine that money couldn't buy.

"So, tell me what happened."

She stopped mid laugh. A frown crossed her face as she hunched her shoulders and pulled her legs to her chest and hugged them. "It's . . . a long story."

He put another spoonful of rocky road in his mouth, "I have time."

"Don't you have class tomorrow?"

"Fuck classes. I'll just skip and crash here."

"Natsu, you can't skip class."

"Luce," He grabbed her spoon and tapped her on the forehead with it, "Start talking then."

"I told you it's really long; you'll have to stay through all of it."

He smiled and handed her, her spoon, "Like I said, I've gone time, ok?"

A long story it was indeed. Between her speaking, her crying, and her blowing her nose it took Lucy a total of two hours to tell completely. And Natsu didn't like hearing one bit of it. He always felt that way though. Every time he would listen and every time he'd want to leave in the middle of her story just so he could go and find the bastard that had made her cry so he could punch whoever it had been in the face. How dare they make Lucy cry? How dare they make _his _Lucy cry? But each time he would stay and listen to her, what he hated most though was hearing her say she still had feelings for whoever it was that had broken her heart, hearing things like that had always made his teeth clench just a little tighter. He was the good best friend though so he would always say that he understood and that they weren't worth her love. This time was no different.

"He's not worth it, Luce. You can do better than him."

"I know, I know but I just—," He handed her a tissue as another sob fest surfaced. She blew her nose loudly, "Oh maybe I should just give up on love all together. I don't know why I even bother, it never lasts anyways. Mother and Father are proof enough to prove that." Her voice had dropped to a low whisper.

"Hey, that's not true, Luce, don't judge because of your parents' mistake, come on, don't give up entirely just because one shitty bastard decided to fuck up his chances. He doesn't know what he's missing!"

"It hasn't just been one though! It's been many!" She screeched as she buried her head in a pillow and cried.

"Aw, Luce," Natsu said as he grabbed her by her waist and pulled her towards him. She pushed the pillow in his face and tried to crawl away from his comforting hands.

"It's different this time!" She wailed, "I loved him so much!"

"No you didn't," Natsu said as he tried to block her legs from kicking him in the face, "You just think you did, that's all!"

"Shut up, Natsu you don't know what you're talking about," She yelled as she stared to beat him with her pillow, "You have no idea what it's like to love someone so much just to have them overlook you again and again!"

"Fuck that!" He yelled as he grabbed her pillow from her and held her tightly by her wrists. "You think I don't know? You don't have any idea what it's like to have you call me in the middle of the fucking night crying your eyes out over some cocky bastard that just wanted to get laid! You don't know what it's like for me to watch you gush over your newest boyfriend like he's the best thing that's ever happened to you." She felt the grip of her wrist lighten. His voice dropped to a whisper, "You think I don't know what it's like? That's you, Luce. You're always the happy one that's in love while I'm watching you from the sidelines practically dripping with envy because I want to be the lucky bastard that's holding you."

Natsu blinked as he realized what had just come out of his mouth and Lucy stopped struggling.

Natsu let go of Lucy's wrist, "Did, did I really just—,"

Lucy didn't say anything, she didn't move. She couldn't.

Natsu stood up abruptly from her bed, knocking over pillows and the tub of ice cream as he did so, "I-I think I should go."

Lucy came out of her shock-like trance as he reached for his jacket, "Na— wait!" Lucy scrambled off her bed and grabbed Natsu by his jacket just as he was reaching for the doorknob. He was leaving through the door for once. She wrapped her small arms around him from behind and grabbed handfuls of his shirt. "Don't go."

"Luce."

"Is it true?"

He could feel her trembling against his back, "Luce . . .,"

"_Is it true?!_," She screamed into his back, "And no lies, I want the truth, please."

He placed one of his large hands over one of her smaller, trembling one, "It's true." He whispered. He heard her take a deep, shuddering breath.

"Don't leave, stay here. Forever."

"Do you have any idea what you're asking?"

"I do," She whispered as he turned and placed his large hands on her tear stained cheeks. "Promise me something?"

"Anything," he whispered, he wiped her newly fallen tears away with his thumbs.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, he felt her bury her nose into the center of his collarbone, "Just so you know, if you don't already, it's going to be hard, Natsu. This is going to be hard, on both of us. If I try to run, catch me, don't let me go. Ever."

"I won't."

She craned her neck to look up at him as she pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw, "Will you stay?"

He pressed his lips to her forehead, "As long as you want me."

xXx

Sometimes she really wondered how it happened. How they had happened.

Their first encounter hadn't been exactly what she had called pleasant but she wouldn't say that it was horrid either. In fact she found the whole thing to be rather amusing more than anything else. And now here she was, what seemed like years later but what had only really been a few weeks, snuggling into his chest as she listened to him hum to himself.

"Do you ever wonder how it happened?"

"Hmm? What you mean us?" He asked.

She shrugged, "I guess."

"Not really," he whispered as he pressed a kiss to the back of her ear.

"Do you have a hard time believing it sometimes? Can you believe it?" She asked as she began drawing patters on the couch with her index finger.

"Maybe sometimes," He whispered as he wrapped his arm around her waist, "Not often though."

She smiled and grabbed his much larger hand. "Come on, Gray. Get up." Erza commanded as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. His arms fell from around her waist.

The man behind her groaned and turned to he was lying on his back with an arm draped over his handsome face. Gray wasn't usually a lazy person, but at the moment all he wanted to do was lie on the couch and just do nothing; he hadn't had a chance to do so in awhile since Erza made doing so a little complicated. What could he say; she was a woman that liked to get things done.

"Gray, come on. Those boxes aren't going to haul themselves. And would you put your pants back on?" She huffed as she got up and disappeared through the living room door only to return a moment later with two boxes in her arms. "Gray."

The raven haired man glanced at her from under his arm. He chuckled as he saw her lip was stuck out in a slight pout and her cheeks were dusted red from her growing anger. He stood from his place on the couch, somehow with his pants once again on, and walked over to take the boxes from Erza's hands. Once done he placed them on the couch and wrapped his strong arms around her thin waist. "Will you just chill. Just for a sec?"

Erza frowned as he placed her hands on his broad shoulders, "No I will not just 'chill'." Erza began, her tone sounded slightly offended so he was surprised when she chose to stay in his embrace instead of moving away like she normally would have.

"And why not?" She felt his forehead pressing up against hers.

"Because. You have all these boxes lying around. I understand that you just moved and you're probably tired, but that's no reason to leave things half done—,"

"Erza."

The redhead glanced up; her breath caught in her throat and she forgot the words she had just been about to say when she felt Gray's nose brush against hers. "Just relax," He whispered. Erza nodded as she turned her head down so she was now staring at his chest.

"I understand."

"Good." Gray said as he released the blushing redhead.

xXx

The late afternoon light that was streaming through her blind covered dorm room window danced across her eyelids. The light was dim, and dimming still as the sun began to dip below the horizon. It was still enough though to rouse the young woman from her state of sleep.

Lucy yawned and blinked her tired eyes as she sat up to glare at the innocent window. Chocolate brown eyes glanced around the room until they found Natsu sleeping in her desk chair on the other side of the room. The blonde smiled as she pushed her blankets away and stood so she could go plop herself in her new boyfriend's lap.

Natsu snorted in his sleep and jolted awake as Lucy sat on him. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was for a moment before he became aware of the extra weight that had been added to his lap. He smiled, "Good morning."

"I believe the correct term would be: Good afternoon, Natsu." The blonde said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Natsu raised his eyebrows at her and then glanced out the window, "Well damn." He returned his gaze to the girl in front of him, "You skip class?"

She made a face like she had been offended that he had even asked such a question, "I'm not the one who skips class, that's you. I'm a good girl."

"Sure you are."

Lucy's bottom lip stuck out in a pout as Natsu wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. He smiled at her, "You wanna go sit by the river?"

"No."

He chuckled and moved his hand to mess up her already tangled blonde locks, "Liar."

Lucy smiled before moving to stand.

She let out an excited squeal when the river came into view. Natsu smiled at her excitement and almost tripped when Lucy suddenly grabbed his hand, yanking him forward and down the small hill that met with the edge of the riverbank.

"I haven't been here in forever!" Lucy breathed as she sat down on the bank.

She pulled off her heels and dipped her feet in the cold water. She had come here often as a child with her parents when they had still been together and her mother had been alive. They had come to picnic, to get away from her father's crazy business life, for her birthday. It was a family favorite. Lucy glanced behind her at Natsu who stood a foot or two away, watching her. Just watching. She had the sudden urge to share this with another, with him and only him. It was a part of her and she wanted him to know that.

Lucy motioned to him with her finger and patted the spot next to her. "Natsu, come here."

He said nothing and did as he was asked. He shifted over to her as if in slow motion and lowered himself to the ground, pulling his shoes and socks off once he was seated. Lucy leaned her head on his shoulder and let a content sigh leave her.

"I used to come here a lot as a child," Her voice was soft, fragile. Natsu could tell that she was somewhere far away, locked in her child hood. "It was a favorite place, not just of mine but of my mother's as well."

"You never told me that before."

He felt her shrug slightly. "I never thought it was important enough to tell anybody." She paused, "But I wanted you to know."

He bumped his head against her lightly, "I'm glad you trust me."

"I'll always trust you."

"Always?"

She turned her head toward him, her eyes ablaze. His breath caught when she placed her small hand against his warm cheek. He was breathing slower than he ever had before and so was she as she leaned towards him. She was close enough that he could feel her warm breath fan across his face. "Always." He heard her whisper before he closed the distance between them.

xXx

The sound of something small hitting her window woke her up. Erza grumbled quietly as she rolled over in her small bed. Opening one of her hazel eyes she glanced at her alarm clock that sat on the end table next to the head of her bed. A sleepy scowl crossed her face when she saw it was one thirty three in the morning.

Something hit her window again and Erza sat straight up in bed. A new anger fumed inside her as she threw the covers off her legs and stopped over to the window, ready to bitch out whoever had just woke her up.

Of course she hadn't expected it to be Gray standing under her window.

A small smile slipped across her mouth as she crossed her arms and leaned against the window sill. "What are you doing?"

He glanced up at her, a small smirk on his mouth. "Surprise, late night date. Come down here."

She blinked at him, disbelief written all over her face. Was he serious? Did he even know what time it was?

Another frown crossed Erza's face and she could tell that Gray was surprised by her sudden change in attitude. He had expected her to be happy, excited even though it was clear that she was anything but.

"Something wrong?"

She felt her teeth grit together. "No, Gray nothing's wrong, you only woke me up in the middle of the night to go on a date! Honestly, did it now occur to you that I might have class tomorrow?"

Gray shoved his hands in his pockets and began kicking the ground with the toe of his shoe. A light pink dusted his nose and she could tell that she had embarrassed him, but only slightly. "I might have considered the fact that you had class."

She gazed at him, once again with disbelief on her face.

He chuckled, "Honestly, love, live a little. Now get dressed and get your cute little ass down here."

Erza felt the blood instantly rust to her face at his new nickname, that and the fact that he thought her behind was cute. She glanced behind her. She might have to hurt him for the butt comment, maybe.

Her face was still a slight pink color when she slipped out the side door of her dorm. He was waiting for her off to the side, against a tree with his hands still in his pockets. A smile broke across his face when he saw her and he instantly pulled her into his arms when she neared him.

"Ready for some fun?" He asked when she gently bumped her forehead against his.

"Depends on what kind of fun you're talking about."

He cupped her cheek and gazed into her hazel eyes. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then her nose, "Nothing bad I promise. I'm sure even you will have fun. Now come on, we're meeting a friend of mine and his new girlfriend there."

She nodded as she slipped her hand into his, letting him lead her down the dark sidewalk.

"Oh come on, Erza it wasn't _that _bad."

She chuckled humorously, "It was— that place is _monstrous_. And I will never step foot in it again."

Gray could tell that Erza was angry, even more than that, she was furious. The arch of her back was tense, the aura around her deadly and he was afraid that she was going to turn around and chuck one of her heels at him.

His idea of a 'fun night out' with Erza had gone downhill rather quickly. It had started out nice enough, they had grabbed something quick to eat before meeting up with his friend Natsu and his best friend turned girlfriend Lucy. It was when they had actually met up with Natsu and Lucy that things went bad. Natsu had suggested a club in town that was recommended to him by his roommate and they had all decided it was a good idea.

However the club turned out to be a strip joint. Things went to hell from there.

"I mean honestly, Gray! Lucy seems like a nice girl, I'll give her that but that friend of yours is psychotic! What other kind of perverts do you hang out with?"

"I'm sorry, Erza I didn't know it was a strip club and in Natsu's defense, neither did he."

He stopped when she halted in her stomp fest and let out a frustrated huff. Erza turned on her bare heel and marched over to him and much to his surprise dropped her heels so she could grab his face. His eyes widened when she practically smashed her mouth on his.

After a moment he felt her mouth relax against his and he followed suit. His arms circled her, holding her against him for a moment before he released her mouth.

"You're such an idiot." She whispered.

He chuckled and placed a gentle kiss on her nose, "I know."


	3. Lucy

Summary: Death cannot stop true love. It can only postpone if for a time.

Pairing: NatsuxLucy (NaLu)

Genre: Romance/Tragedy

Warning: Contains character death. Some characters may be OCC. Lisanna spoilers!

Lucy

xXx

Leaves crunched beneath Natsu's feet as he walked slowly, the ghost of a small smile on his face. He was happy yet he was not because he was going to see her. Her place came into view, inhaling deeply through his nose Natsu continued walking, not having realized he had stopped.

He let his rough fingers glide across the smooth surface of the grave. Her grave. He sniffed quietly as he looked down at the roses he held in his hand before placing them on the still freshly turned soil. It had been a week already, but that still wasn't enough time for grass to grow yet.

"Hey Luce," He said as he sat himself down on the ground, he leaned his back against the cold grey stone. "Can't believe it's been two weeks already. Sorry I haven't been around in awhile. Are you really gone? I keep feeling like I'm in a dream, like I'll wake up any minute, but no matter how hard I pinch myself I can't seem to wake up." Natsu chuckled darkly as he rubbed his face.

"Remember when we first met? I always called you Luigi instead of Lucy." Natsu smiled his ghost of a smile again, "You used to get so mad." He had never forgotten her name to begin with, he just though she looked cute when she was mad, she was even cuter when she was mad at _him_.

"Were you watching, Luce? When I found out?" Natsu bumped his head against the stone a few times. He could still remember it clearly, like it had only been yesterday.

xXx

The young fire mage ran happily toward the guild that could only be recognized as Fairy Tail. Natsu was happier that he had been in awhile, Lucy said she was finally getting better, which Natsu was excited to hear, wasn't long after they'd be off on another mission. They hadn't been on many lately because Lucy had been in bed sick for just over a week now.

Natsu busted down the front doors like he usually did, his trade mark smirk on his face as he began looking around for Erza and Gray to tell them the good news. As Natsu looked he couldn't help but feel that something was off in his home. It was to quiet, not as lively. He couldn't even hear Erza screaming at anybody yet. Strange.

When the pink haired teen finally found Erza and Gray they were standing together at a table and surprisingly not killing each other. Natsu strode over happily.

"Guess what?" Erza and Gray both only had time to merely glance at Natsu before he burst out, "I just saw Lucy yesterday, and she said she's going to be ok!" He smiled as he folded his arms behind his head.

What he got in return for his good news wasn't what he had expected. What he thought would happen was Erza would smile one of her rare smiles and would say that she was glad Lucy was making a quick recovery while Gray would smirk and say something around the lines of "about time."

What he got wasn't even remotely close to that.

Erza bit her lip, her shoulders shook and her fingers closed into tight fists. Gray placed a hand on Erza's should and whispered something that sounded like, "It's ok." Then she was crying.

Natsu had never seen Erza cry. Never.

Tears flooded down the Titania's face, she turned to Gray clenching his shirt as she soaked it with her tears. Gray placed a comforting hand on Erza's head as he continued to whisper comforting words to her.

Erza was making an effort to cry quietly, the blue haired mage sitting not that far from them didn't even bother trying.

Natsu whipped around when he heard a loud wail echo through the guild. Not far from them sat Levi with Gazille next to her, squeezing her hand slightly. He obviously had no idea what to do when his girlfriend cried. Levi wasn't weak; it took a lot to make her cry.

"Lu-chan! Lu-chan!" Levi wailed as she let her head fall to the table. Her breath came fast and broken and her shoulders shook violently. "Why?!"

Natsu's eyes widened, what the hell was going on? Why where Erza and Levi crying? Why did he feel like something bad had happened when it was the exact opposite? Why was Levi calling for Lucy like something bad had happened to her when it was the exact opposite?

Natsu's eyes darted towards the bar. Mirajane! He'd ask her, she always knew what was going on.

"There's Natsu."

"Why's he so happy?"

"I thought the news would affect him the most, she was his best friend. Doesn't he know?"

"I don't think he does."

Natsu clenched and unclenched his hands nervously as he approached the bar. "Mira-chan?"

Mirajane whipped her head around and stared at Natsu wide-eyed, "Natsu?"

"What's with the look, Mira-chan, you look like you saw a ghost." Natsu said as he sat on one of the stools in from of Mirajane. He smiled, but only slightly, everyone's foul moods had brought his own down.

Then he remembered Lucy. His smile grew, "Mira-chan I saw Lucy the other day. She said she's feeling better."

Mirajane could only stare at Natsu, she couldn't believe her ears. How could he not have heard?

"Natsu, there's something you need to see." Mira whispered as she motioned for him to follow her to the back rooms of the guild. Natsu's brow knitted together in confusion, but he followed her anyways.

The pink-haired teen followed Mirajane until she stopped at a closed door next to the guild infirmary. "Go ahead look, but you won't like what you see." She whispered.

Natsu gave her a confused look before slowly turning the handle and opening the door. Inside was a single bed covered in crisp white sheets and it that bed laid Lucy.

"Luce?" Natsu pushed the door all the way open and made his way over to the plastic chair next to her. He sat himself down and looked at her. He couldn't help but notice that she looked incredibly pale. He chuckled which caused Mira's brow to pull together. "Why are you sleepin' Lucy? You just said yesterday that you were getting better, come on." Natsu reached over to shake her shoulder and as he did his warm arm brushed her face.

Natsu froze. She was cold, too cold.

"Luce?"

"Natsu," Natsu felt Mira place her small hand on his shoulder, "She's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean she's gone?" Natsu heard Mira sniff behind him, before the sound of a chair being pulled over stopped beside him. "Natsu look at me."

Natsu didn't know why, but it took a lot of effort for him to look away from Lucy.

When he did Mira looked him straight in the eyes, which wasn't easy to do between her tears. "How many heartbeats can you hear in this room, Natsu?"

Natsu didn't understand why Mira was asking him such a simple question. Of course there were two . . . two. Natsu's eyes widened. "No." The fire mage whipped his head around to look back at Lucy. He only got a glimpse before Mirajane pulled his face back to look at her again.

"Natsu, Lucy had leukemia."

Even Natsu wasn't stupid enough to not know what leukemia was.

"No, I just saw her yesterday, she was fine. She can't have cancer, she can't! She's too young!"

"Age doesn't matter when it comes to cancer, Natsu." Natsu gripped his pink locks tightly, this wasn't happening. "Gray and Erza found her this morning."

This wasn't happening to him. To her.

"I never knew." He looked down at his knees.

"Nobody did, Natsu."

He looked back up at Mira whose tears were now dripping from her chin, "You knew."

"I only found out by chance, Natsu. I wasn't supposed to. It was only luck that Lucy had dropped her treatment pills and it was only luck that I was the one who picked them up." Mira paused to wipe her eyes, "She only said three words to me before she grabbed the pills and left."

"What did she say?"

"She said: 'Don't tell Natsu.'"

Natsu's eyes widened, "Why would she not want me to know."

Mira looked at her own knees and shrugged before looking back up at him, "I'm not sure, maybe she didn't want you to worry about her, or maybe she was going to tell you herself some day."

Natsu couldn't take it anymore. Lucy couldn't be gone, she just couldn't. He turned back to her and put his hands on her pale, cold face. "Luce, Luce please don't leave me hear. Luce. LUCY!"

For the first time in his life Natsu felt cold.

* * *

><p>Erza stiffened as the sound of Natsu screaming for Lucy filled the guild. She burst into tears all over again.<p>

xXx

"Hey Luce," Natsu said as he sat down by her grave once again. "Sorry it's been so long since I've visited. How long's it been, a few months?"

"Mirajane says that I'll get closure from saying your name once in awhile." Natsu chuckled as he closed his eyes, "But it seems I'm still only able to say your name when I'm talking to you."

Natsu looked at the roses he had brought for her before putting them on the now grass covered mound. He leaned his head against her headstone, "Happy birthday, Lucy." She was 19 today, Lucy had died to young, far to young.

Just a little over a year that was how long Natsu had known her. If he had known then that she would be taken away from him he would have done things differently. Much differently.

Because just over a year wasn't enough time for Natsu, but it had been enough time for him to fall in love.

xXx

How many times had he visited her grave? He had lost count long ago, but every time he had visited Natsu never cried.

So what made this time so different?

He didn't know what had come over him but suddenly the fire mage felt hot tears running down his heated cheeks before dipping on the flesh of his hand. The tears didn't last long on his hand before they would sizzle away.

"Dammit, Lucy!" He yelled as he pounded a fist against the headstone. "Dammit why'd you have to leave me here?" His heart ached. It ached more than the time he found out Lisanna had died; it ached more than the day he had awoken only to find Igneel gone.

Love is strange; it has a way of making you hurt even though you try to tell yourself that you're done hurting.

xXx

Natsu didn't know how long he had been sitting in the same position. His body had long gone stiff from his lack of movement but still he refused to move. "Why'd you leave me here, Luce?" He asked again as he placed his forehead against the cold stone.

"Natsu."

His eyes went wide as he whipped his head around, "Impossible."

Yet there she was, standing before him.

"Lucy."

"Did you miss me, Natsu?"

Natsu didn't speak, but Lucy's question didn't go unanswered either. It had been answered the second Natsu had wrapped his strong arms around her. He nuzzled his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply, she still smelled the same. Like Lucy.

"Am I dreaming?"

Lucy laughed as she wrapped her own arms around him, "No."

"I must be or else you wouldn't be here," Natsu whispered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I can't stay, Natsu."

He froze, so some things really are too good to be true. "Why not?"

Lucy looked up at Natsu and smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Natsu I'm dead, how could I possible stay here when I'm no longer alive? I only came to say goodbye."

Natsu nodded, "How much time do we have?"

She looked up at him with her big brown eyes; they still shined like when she was alive as she smiled for real this time, "Awhile."

Awhile felt like forever to Natsu, as he and Lucy sat by her grave just talking, making up the six months that had passed since she had died. He was truly happy for the first time in those long six months, but even his new found happiness couldn't shake the taunting voice in the back of his mind that said: 'This won't last forever.'

Oh how he wished it would, that time would just freeze and he and Lucy could just walk anywhere, holding hands, laughing, talking. But they couldn't.

"How are things up in the sky?" Natsu asked as Lucy snuggled closer to him as she looked up at the stars.

"That's a secret."

"No fair, Lu." Natsu complained.

For the short period of time Natsu truly forgot that Lucy was dead. That she would have to leave soon, and eventually that time did come.

He knew the second she was leaving, when she stood up and turned to him with a sad smile. He stood as well and placed his warm hands on her cheeks. "You're time is up?"

Lucy only nodded as tears began to slip from her eyes.

"Hey now," Natsu whispered as he wiped a few away with is thumbs before kissing the few he had missed. "Don't cry, Lu, angels don't cry. Besides you're prettier when you smile."

"You think I'm pretty?"

"I think you're beautiful, I always have."

Lucy smiled as she stood on her toes and pressed he soft pink lips to Natsu's. He couldn't help but smile as their lips moved together. For him, for both of them this was more than just a kiss. It was a promise, a promise filled with love that they would see each other again.

Once they parted Natsu whispered, "Save a spot for me in the sky, Lucy."

"I will."

xXx

"Hey Lucy I remember your name…"


End file.
